Running
by tenshi noyo Ryu Taiga
Summary: My interpretation of the end Chlollie scene in Fortune and onwards.
1. Chapter 1

Running

By Tenshi Noyo Ryu Taiga

Disclaimer- I don't own Smallville or any of its characters.

Summary- My interpretation of the end Chlollie scene in Fortune.

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Chloe tried to strengthen her resolve with each step she took away from Watchtower. It was fun… while it lasted, but the truth of the matter was that this wasn't where she belonged anymore. She was sad to see Clark, Lois, even Tess and Emil go, but this was necessary. But who she would really miss was…

"Hey!" Oliver cried out from the steps of the building. With the one word, Chloe felt her heart stop, "Where are you running off to so quick?" He asked with a slight grin.

Chloe felt like the world was closing in on her. She wasn't ready for this. She thought she had time. Time to harden her resolve… to gather her courage… to harden her heart, "What are you doing? I thought we were rendezvousing at your place later," She tried to smile, but she knew it came off as a weak imitation.

Oliver almost looked disappointed at her words. He visibly faltered as he thought about what to say next, before he gently reached out to quickly caress her arm, "You're leaving again, right?" He asked as he looked at her expectantly… _knowingly_.

She was frozen in shock. She should have known. Oliver really did know her better than anyone else. Of course he would know what she was planning, "Oliver, I-"

"It's okay. I can… I can read between the lines," He spoke, his voice clearly fake as he tried not to make a big deal out of her leaving him again. It was a complicated situation. On one hand, she was running. On the other, the place that she was running to…, "Chloe, I never expected you to sit up in that ivory watchtower for the rest of your life. I know better than that."

Chloe nodded because yes, yes he did know her better than that. If there was one person who got everything that she was, it was Oliver.

Oliver hesitated, looking into her eyes. He reached into his pocket, "I have something, uh…" He reached out a folded piece of paper. This was it; the big moment. The ball was in Chloe's court. Oliver was trying, but this was his last shot. If she was running away from him, then this would be their last stand. But if she loved him; if she wasn't running away, but was instead running to him…

Chloe looked confused as she picked up the paper. As she unfolded it, her breath caught in her chest. When she had called the chapel earlier, she was told that she had gotten married. Not wanting to upset Clark, she told him a lie and secretly planned on doing a little cyber hacking later to get rid of the records. She had never thought that _Oliver…_ Tears flooded her eyes as she looked up to lock gazes with the man she loved.

Oliver, who had been carefully watching her expressions, allowed his lips to twitch up slightly in a smile. It was clear that Chloe was happy about that little piece of paper; the paper that officially declared them man and wife. She wasn't running away from him, she was running toward 'them'. He watched as she reached into her jacket pocket to also retrieve a piece of folded paper. With one had she unfolded the small sheet and held it up to piece it next to it's other half, an uncontrollable smile crossing her lips. To think she had ever thought that, magic-ed drink or not, she would ever marry anyone other than the man standing in front of her.

In a much better mood now that he knew that they were in this together, he smiled, "Now, I don't know what you're thinking, but..." He looked up at her with a boyish grin, "I hope it's not that you're gonna run off without your husband." Chloe looked up at him with a look of pure affection on her face, "You didn't take a job in my hometown for nothin'," he finished with a grin on his face. His words forced a laugh out of Chloe.

Chloe had been prepping for days on how to tell him that she was moving to Star City and he had already known. That was just like Oliver. She was Watchtower- she was supposed to know everything about everybody. Oliver was the only one who ever knew everything about her. Of course he would know about her job before she even told him. God, how she loved this man. She smiled brightly as she leaned forward to meet him halfway with a kiss. Her hand reached up to grip the back of his neck as his own tangled in her curls briefly, before they broke apart.

Oliver looked at Chloe in satisfaction. If she could just see her own face right now… He had never been stared at with such adoration and love before in his life. Her hand trailed across from his neck to his cheek, where she gently stroked his cheek bone, "Let's get out of here," He grinned, her arms wrapping tightly around him even as they walked away. She would be leaving Metropolis soon and together they would make a home in Star City- as Green Arrow and Watchtower and as husband and wife.


	2. Chapter 2

Running

By tenshi noyo ryu taiga

**So this was intended as a one-shot, but due to responses and curiosity about how things will play out, I've decided to keep writing. This will probably end up with 3 chapter- 5 tops. Also, please read this fic at my LIVEJOURNAL (link on my profile) because at some point I will have PICTURES! So, for the full effect, follow me!

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Chapter Two

Oliver looked down at the blonde in his arms. She had barely spoken all night. During their conversation earlier, she seemed happy, but…

"Are you okay, Sidekick?" He asked, squeezing the arm he had wrapped around her as they walked the last block to his penthouse. Now that the VRA was officially no more and he had given up on trying to avoid the looks he got for being _the _Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, he was allowed to return to his apartment and take up the mantle as CEO of Queen Industries. Luthor Corp was still, unfortunately, in Lionel's hands, but Oliver swore that he would fix that… soon.

Chloe smiled up at him, "Yeah, I'm okay," She spoke, but there was still a hint of sadness in her voice.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked seriously, "Do you… Are you regretting it?" He worried. She had seemed happy earlier. He was certain that she wasn't running. But not running didn't equal being okay with marriage. Maybe he misinterpreted what he saw on her face.

As if reading his mind, she responded, "No. I don't regret marrying you… I just…"

"What? What is it?" Oliver asked, desperate to understand. If she wasn't running away and she didn't regret their marriage, then what was upsetting her?

"I just wish I remembered it," She admitted softly as they reached his building.

Oliver relaxed, "The wedding?" He asked before mentally slapping himself. Obviously she meant the wedding, "I guess, now that you mention it, it would be nice to remember exactly what happened."

Chloe nodded as she entered the code to bring the elevator to his penthouse, "I mean, I'm not like most girls. I didn't spend years thinking up the perfect wedding. But, I guess I just thought… With Jimmy, it wasn't right. I know that now. My father wasn't even able to fly out to be there, which actually turned out to be a good thing since, you know, alien attack. But I really thought that if I ever got married again… I'd get to have my day," Chloe sighed before grinning up at him weakly, "Maybe its because of all the time I've been spending with Lois and her wedding planning."

He shook his head at her as they exited the elevator and made their way across his living room, "No. You deserve that, Sidekick. You deserve to have that day. The day where everything goes right, our friends and family get to be there and everything just turns out… perfect. I want that for you, Chloe."

Chloe smiled up at him, "Thank you," She replied in adoration before letting out a small laugh, "But it's a little late."

Oliver shook his head, turning to stand in front of her, "No, it's not. Let's do it. Let's get married," he smiled reaching out to hold both of her hands.

She looked at him like he was crazy, "Um, Ollie? We are married."

The taller blond grinned and shook his head, "I know. But let's have a **wedding**. There'll be vows and crying and music and… cake! You love cake."

Chloe laughed loudly, "I do love cake," she responded. She looked up to stare deeply into his eyes, "You're serious about this," She realized with a hint of wonder in her voice.

Oliver nodded, "I am. Our friends don't even know we're married. We aren't the only ones that need those memories."

She took his words in, carefully considering the idea- as she always did. Oliver waited patiently for the answer he already knew he would receive, "Okay. Let's do it," She grinned brightly. Oliver smiled and pulled her into a crushing hug, but before long he felt her pull away, "But not here." Confused, Oliver waited for her expound on her thoughts, "Let's have our wedding at home," She finished, a mysterious smile on her face.

It took several moments for Oliver's mind to catch up to her meeting. As soon as it did, a large, boyish grin stole across his face, "Star City?"

"Of course," was Chloe's mocking reply, "Where else would our wedding- the symbolic joining of our two lives- be?"

A shriek echoed the penthouse as Oliver swept Chloe up into a huge hug, physically lifting her off the ground, "I love you, Professor," He whispered against her ear, touched that she would do this for him; for _them_.

"I love you too," She murmured back, arms wrapping tighter around his broad frame.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

"So, wait. Explain this to me again?" Lois' voice crackled over Chloe's cell phone.

"I've explained this to you already. I spent last week explaining it to you in Metropolis. I spent half the flight out explaining it to you. I'm done explaining it."

"Chloe."

The blonde let out a very put upon sigh, "Oliver and I are married. We got married on the bachelor night from hell. We're happy that we got married, but we want a wedding- preferably, one we'll remember in the morning. We want cake and flowers and the whole shebang."

"…Explain this to me again?"

Chloe simply hung up. She had been talking to her cousin for a week straight explaining the situation and her cousin just couldn't seem to comprehend that Chloe got married. No, that's not quite right. Lois couldn't seem to comprehend that Chloe got married before she did. Lois was born first, started dating Clark first, got engaged first and yet Chloe got married first.

Sighing, Chloe took a deep gulp of the rapidly cooling coffee in her hands and reached out for the magazine on the kitchen table. Oliver had brought home the magazine last night, having received an advanced copy. The world now knew that Oliver and Chloe were married. Half the people thought it was romantic: billionaire playboy falls for long time friend. The other half… well, the politest thing they were calling her was pregnant gold digger. When word about how the couple got married (drunk and/or high was the general consensus) the tension grew even higher. Eventually Oliver's PR guy begged the couple to sit down for an interview to get the truth out (and to stop the constant rise and fall of Oliver's popularity – and the stock prices that rose and fell with it.)

The interview had gone well. The woman was both very professional and completely indifferent. This actually worried Chloe because it meant she had no way of knowing exactly where the woman fell on the Pro-Chloe, Anti-Chloe fence.

Chloe sighed as she finally opened the magazine to the article and looked through it. The article appeared… fine. Like the interview itself, the article seemed totally unbiased. There were no subtle barbs or glowing praise, just a simple recount of everything Chloe and Oliver said.

The blonde settled into her seat at the counter and settled in to read the actual article, skimming through the introduction since she already knew her own history.

**Q: What really happened the night of your wedding?**

**O: That's a funny story, actually.**

**C: No. It's really not.**

**O: Okay, so maybe not. Our friends, Clark and Lois, were having their bachelor parties. All of us opened up a bottle of champagne to toast the occasion, provided by a very good friend of ours-**

**C: Who is conveniently overseas and thus safe from our current murderous reach. But she has to come back for the wedding so we'll all see her then.**

**O: …Yes. Anyway, our friend err… roofied the champagne. Her philosophy is basically to let your inner wants out so it was a well intentioned drugging, I swear.**

**Q: Ookay. Well intentioned drugging. I see. Well, then what happened?**

**O: …We have no idea. I woke up with Lois on the railroad tracks in a bright green suit.**

**C: I woke up in my friend Clark's closet in a Madonna wedding dress with a lemur.**

**Q: …A lemur. I see. So how did you find out what happened?**

**C: I saw my wedding ring and I had half a wedding certificate. My friend Clark had on a wedding ring too, so at first we were terrified that we'd married each other.**

**O: Our friends Emil and Tess had recorded most of the night on a video camera so we knew some of what happened. It wasn't until I was changing clothes later that I found my half of the wedding certificate. I knew that if I had gotten married, it could only be to one person.**

**Q: But you don't actually remember anything from that night?**

**C: Not a thing. We still have questions.**

**Q: Like what?**

**O: Why was Tess dressed as a Go-Go Dancer?**

**C: How did Emil get hired as an Elvis impersonator?**

**O: How did Clark steal the LuthorCorp sign… which he returned immediately, no harm done, don't press charges.**

**Q: …Okay then. How do you feel about your marriage now that you're both coherent?**

**O: Great!**

**C: Oliver and I have been dating for a while and we'd been friends for years before that. Last year, I had to leave for… personal reasons. That separation made us realize exactly how much we love each other. We're happy that we got married. We just wish we remembered it.**

**O: Which is exactly why we're doing it again.**

**Q: Doing it again?**

**O: We're having another wedding. A real one… or I guess a traditional one would have been a better word.**

**Q: Any hints about your upcoming wedding?**

**C: The wedding itself will just be our friends and family. The reception, however, will involve a lot more hub-bub. The guest list for the reception is at about a thousand.**

**Q: Any other hints?**

**O: Uhm, not really? I will say that we'll be selling pictures of the wedding to the highest bidder with all of the money going to charity. We know that people would really love to know about it so we figure, why not make sure any profit will go toward a good cause.**

**Q: You've mentioned both Lois Lane and Tess Mercer as good friends of yours. However, they also happen to be Oliver's only serious ex-girlfriends. Does that ever cause any tension between you two?**

**C: Not really. Lois is family and Tess has become a good friend. There isn't really any tension though there are awkward moments where we realize that we've all dated each other but those are over pretty quick.**

**Q: Dated each other?**

**C: I sort of dated Clark and Lois dated Oliver. Now I'm married to Oliver and Lois is marrying Clark.**

**Q: I see.**

**O: But we're all very good friends, very close. I'm going to be Clark's best man and though I have yet to ask him, I'm hoping he'll be mine.**

**C: Same thing for Lois and me. I'm her Matron of Honor and she's my Maid of Honor. And I'm hoping Tess will be a bridesmaid… I hope they don't read this before we get around to asking them.**

**Q: Well, be sure and ask them soon then. Now, my last topic: pregnancy rumors. Yay or nay?**

**O & C: Nay!**

**O: Not that I don't love the idea of kids, but our lives are pretty hectic right now. We're both getting settled back into Star City, Chloe's starting her new job, I've still got Green Arrow stress and Queen Industries stress. Plus two weddings.**

**C: Definitely. And I'm just honestly not ready to be a mom.**

**O: Or a dad. I'd definitely need to read some parenting books before I even thought about having kids yet.**

**Q: Okay, well thank you for sitting down with me and sharing the truth about your wedding and your lives.**

**O: You're very welcome.**

Chloe smiled and reached for her cell phone. Time to finalize her wedding party before the magazine hit the news stands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note- REMINDER: Pictures are on my LJ. I updated this on Livejournal a while ago since I always update there first.**

Chapter Four:

Chloe hummed as she spun around, dancing to the light tones of Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade. She was in a fantastic mood and nothing could bring her down. The smallest things would make her break out into a large smile. Every time she looked down at her hands and saw the engagement ring Oliver bought her (despite the fact they were already married), she'd smile. Every time she saw her nails done in a beautiful French manicure/pedicure, she'd smile. And every time she turned to see her friends (who were also the women in her bridal party), she'd smile.

It was actually starting to creep Lois out.

"Okay, cuz. I love you, but this has got to stop. I feel like birds are going to come flying in to braid your hair and help you dress any second now," Lois demanded, reaching out to stop her increasingly whimsical cousin.

Chloe smiled, unaffected by Lois' harsh tone, "I'm just so…"

"Happy?" Zatanna offered from the couch where she was flipping through a magazine. Her wedding was just an hour away and they were all waiting in the large backroom, getting ready. The girls had just finished getting their hair and make up done. The bridesmaids all had pin straight hair whereas Chloe's was done up in curls. Of course. Oliver loved her in curls, though that might be due to the fact that the first time they made love (and really started their relationship) had been one of the few days where Chloe had curled her hair. She much preferred keeping her hair straight, but she was more than willing to keep her hair in curls to see the smile on her husband's face.

Lois, as maid of honor, was designated the Chloe keeper. Not that anyone thought that Chloe was going to be running off. Then there were her three bridesmaids: Tess, who showed up feeling extremely uncomfortable but had quickly relaxed into the easy atmosphere provided by the others.

Then there was Zatanna, who had been the reason Chloe and Oliver got together in the first place. It was her cursed comic book that got the pair together and it was her hexed champagne (which Chloe was still annoyed about) that had gotten the duo married.

The last bridesmaid was Mia, Oliver's young ward. Mia had been going to a private boarding school in Star City. Mia had taken care of herself for years on the street and Oliver had no intention of tramp;ing that or disrespecting it. He allowed Mia more freedom than most 17 year olds dreamed of, including unlimited access to his money and his apartment for anything she needed and Mia loved him for understanding her so well. Now that Chloe and Oliver had moved back to Star City, the young girl had all but moved in with them, opting to become a day student at her school instead of continuing to board with them full time.

Finally, Chloe's wedding assistant burst into the room, holding several garment bags. Chloe hadn't wanted to hire a wedding planner, but she hadn't been able to handle the load herself so she advertised that she was looking for a wedding assistant: someone who was interesting in the wedding industry or maybe even fashion who would be interested in helping her. Many wedding planners applied, but Chloe was looking for someone young and fresh. Like an intern. Enter Mary. Mary was an event planner whose dream was to become a fashion designer who made wedding dresses.

After distributing the bags to the bridesmaids first, Mary then helped Chloe into her wedding dress. Chloe's dress wasn't designer. In fact, it was vintage. It had a deep V-neck and showcased a lot of back. The bust was a vintage lace that continued in the straps and went down her back, stopping at her butt. The rest of the dress was a light, delicate silk that flowed into a train.

Smiling as she finished getting into her dress, she turned to face the others. All four bridesmaids were dressed in a grey-blue, single strapped Alberta Ferretti dress with silver sequined designs. Originally the dress was floor length, but they had been modified to go to mid thigh. Chloe had wanted her bridesmaids to contrast her. She wore her hair curly, they wore theirs straight. She wore a floor length dress, so theirs were short.

"Wow, cuz," Lois murmured, taking in the sight, "You look really amazing."

Chloe broke into a broken smile as her eyes started to tear up a little.

"What's wrong?" Lois asked, slightly panicked. She'd never had to calm a bride down before. Soldiers, yes, but brides? "The make up artist already left and its twenty minutes until you walk down the isle. You don't have time for a freak out!"

The blonde let out a laugh, "No, I'm just… I wish our moms could have been here. That's all."

Lois started in surprise. She hadn't really thought about that. When she had planned her wedding, everything that a mom was supposed to do, Mrs. Kent had done. It wasn't that she didn't miss her mom, it was just that she hadn't yet thought about the fact that Elle Lane and Moira Sullivan wouldn't be there on either of their wedding days. Blinking back a few tears of her own, she wrapped her arms around her petite cousin as her own heart broke. Neither of them would have their mothers crying for them in the front pew.

Chloe let out a sigh as she took comfort from her cousin before visibly forcing herself to calm down, "So, we just need the bouquets and then we do this thing."

Tess let out a light laugh, "I'll get them," she offered, already moving into the other room.

"I'll help," Mia offered, knowing the red head wouldn't be able to carry five bouquets on her own.

"The ring?" Chloe asked Lois. Lois smiled and silently held out the box that she had been holding. The blonde nodded as the other two women came back in and they all took their flowers.

Mary opened the door, "Show time," She smiled as they filed out the door. They met the boys at the entrance to the church, Oliver's groomsmen consisting of the original "Justice Bros". Mary signaled the band and the music began to play. Zatanna grasped onto AC's arm and they made their way down the aisle, followed by Tess and Victor, then Mia and Bart.

"You look really great," Clark smiled at Chloe, giving her a hug before taking Lois' arm and walking down the aisle.

Stealing herself, Chloe tried to force her body to calm down. She was already married, so why was she nervous! When the wedding march began, she heard everyone stand up to face her. For a moment, she wished her dad was there to walk her down the aisle, but they had become so estranged that every interaction seemed awkward. He was in the crowd, but she hadn't asked him to walk her down the aisle and he hadn't offered.

Letting out a breath, she put on a shaky smile as she made her way down the aisle. About half way through, she was finally able to see Oliver's face clearly and her smile widened exponentially.

When she reached her husband, everybody sat down. Seeing Oliver's bright grin made her smile all the harder. She didn't really pay attention, answering on automatic, preferring to watch Oliver instead. Finally, it was time to exchange rings.

Chloe's ring was white gold with the words "I love you" written over and over in script on the outside. Oliver's ring had the roman numerals on them like a clock and on the inside were the words "For Eternity".

Oliver grinned as they got to his favorite part of the wedding. Not even letting the minister finish his sentence, Oliver was already kissing Chloe. Releasing her, they both let out a laugh, turning to face the crowd and heading back down the isle.

They got into the limo heading for the wedding reception. While in the backseat, Chloe got Oliver to help her out of her dress and began shimmying into a more comfortable reception dress: a floor length white gown with gold detailing at the top of the strapless bust. She put on a matching gold cuff and grabbed a small gold clutch with all of her important documents inside. After the reception, they were heading straight to the airport for their honeymoon.


End file.
